Winery & Vintage Info
Spring Vale Estate first began in 1986 when a small area of 0.8 hectares were planted to Pinot Noir. Further plantings were made in the following years: firstly, more Pinot Noir, then Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer, followed by Pinot Gris in 1996. In 2000, more Pinot Noir and a splash of Pinot Meunier were planted. A further 7.9 hectares of Pinot Noir were then planted in 2013.
In June 2007, Spring Vale purchased a neighbouring farm, "Melrose". The purpose was to enable increased production of a lighter style red to be produced, with the first "Melrose" Pinot Noir being the 2008 Vintage.
The Freycinet Coast is the driest part of the state, with an average annual rainfall of 550mm. Warm days and cool nights are a result of this climate and ideal for slow ripening and excellent flavour development. The soil at Spring Vale is mostly a fertile clay loam, with the subsoil varying from porous friable loam with rock to medium-heavy clay. Drainage is excellent throughout the vineyard and the pH of the soil is around 6.5.
The 2018 vintage saw good winter rainfall, providing optimal soil moisture profiles leading into drier and warmer than average conditions from September through to April. Spring provided ideal conditions for flowering and fruit set resulting in above average crop loads with big healthy canopies enabling even and steady ripening. Quality was exceptional, with lovely varietal flavour and balanced natural acidity.
The 2018 Spring Vale Estate Pinot Noir fruit was handpicked between 14th of March and 4th April 2018. Destemmed into open pots for initial cool pre-ferment maceration, usually up to four days. Some pots were allowed to ferment ‘wild’ with natural yeasts. The remainder were inoculated with cultured yeast and all pots received regular hand plunging during ferment to gently extract flavour and tannins. Upon dryness the wine was pressed to French oak barriques, 25% of which were new, where it remained for 10 months. It was then filtered and bottled.
